BEN STOKES is among cricket’s all-time greats.
Here’s what we know about the England cricket captain’s wife, Clare, who has supported him on his ascent to the top of the game.
Who is Clare Ratcliffe?
Clare Ratcliffe, 33, was born in Somerset and is married to cricketer Ben Stokes, who she has two children with.
The pair have been together since 2010.
Clare, who took Ben's surname, has previously described herself as a “cricket widow” and a “parent to two monsters”.
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The couple got engaged in 2013, soon after the death of Clare’s father, Arthur.
Ben and Clare announced the happy engagement news in their local Somerset paper at the time.
When was their wedding?
Ben and Clare got married on October 14, 2017, after being engaged for three years.
The wedding was held at St Mary the Virgin church in East Brent, close to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.
A full lineup of Ben’s cricket teammates was among the wedding congregation, including Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, and Alastair Cook.
Joining them were former cricketing greats Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood.
Sharing a romantic snap from the wedding on her Instagram account on the couple’s third anniversary in 2020, Clare wrote: “3 years... how did I get so lucky @stokesy ????”.
Ben took to Instagram the year before to mark their second anniversary, writing alongside a wedding photo, "Happy 2nd Anniversary to this absolute babe @clarey11, time flies when you're having fun...love you loads ❤️ ❤️ ❤️".
Do they have any children?
In the early days of the relationship, Clare was studying for her PGCE teacher training qualification in Taunton, Somerset, while Ben was playing cricket up in Durham.
Clare is now thought to have previously worked as a primary school teacher but now spends most of her time looking after the family.
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Judging by Clare’s social media, she seems interested in cheerleading and even teaches children at the Hartlepool Hawks.
Judging by the couples' individual social media accounts, the family have two dogs, Shelby and Sampson.
Why was he on trial?
Ben hit headlines just weeks before the 2017 wedding when he was involved in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub.
Supported by his wife, Clare, Ben stood trial and was ultimately cleared of affray at Bristol Crown Court, in August 2018.
Two other men, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, were also standing trial on the same charge.
The court heard that Ben had knocked Ali and Hale unconscious.
Witnesses said they saw Ali and Hale with makeshift weapons just before Stokes knocked them both out.
Jurors were told that the brawl outside Mbargo nightclub on the Bristol Triangle was a "sustained episode of significant violence" in which Ben "lost control".
Ben said that "at all times he acted in self-defence of himself or others" and believed the force he used was "reasonable and entirely justified".
The brawl came hours after England claimed a victory over the West Indies in a one-day international in Bristol.
Ben has been in the spotlight recently after turning down the offer of a long-term England contract, in a bid to maximise earnings for the rest of his career.
